Drop Your Phone in Water? Here's How to Get It Out

Drop Your Phone in Water? Here's How to Get It Out

We've all been there — one minute, you're snapping the perfect picture or trying to send a last-minute text message, and the next thing you know, your phone is sinking in water.

Whether you left your new iPhone in your back pocket on laundry day or had a case of slippery fingers at the beach, water-related cellphone damage happens to the best of us. Fortunately, there are solutions that might be able to help spare your phone any lasting damage.

How Water Damages Your Phone

If you're fortunate, your water damage could be minimal or nonexistent — but if your phone was submerged for a prolonged time, the damage could be more extensive. Water can leak into all parts of your device, including behind the screen, inside the battery compartment and in the charging port.

If your phone has water damage, you might notice:

Other damages — like a shattered screen or chipped frame — could occur if your phone also hit a solid surface.

What to Do If You Drop Your Phone in Water

Follow these steps immediately if you've dropped a phone in water:

How to Get Water Out of Your Phone

If you've let your phone drain and air dry and still suspect internal water, don't panic! By placing your device inside an absorbent material — called a desiccant — you may be able to pull out some of the remaining moisture. Two popular desiccant materials are rice and silica gel.

The Rice Method

The rice method likely came from photographers and filmmakers who needed a way to dry cameras when filming in humid locations and has since become a go-to emergency drying method for smartphone owners everywhere. The concept is based on the fact that uncooked rice absorbs water — which is why it gets larger and softer while it cooks — and can help draw moisture out of a waterlogged device.

Here's how it works:

If you've dropped your phone in water and have no rice, similar pantry items, like oatmeal or quinoa, can also help.

Use Silica Gel

Silica, or silicon dioxide, has a similar composition to sand. Silica gel is a type of silica desiccant that adsorbs roughly 40% of its weight in moisture and helps reduce overall humidity inside enclosed areas and packages. If you've bought a new item, like a pair of shoes, medication or electronics, you're probably familiar with the small silica gel packets inside the packaging. These packets contain silica-based xerogel, which absorbs moisture and helps water molecules adhere to the gel's surface. This makes it a valuable tool for drying electronics — some forms of silica gel are even reusable if you heat them to more than 300 degrees.

Here's how to use silica gel packets to dry out your wet phone:

Don't have any silica gel packets on hand? Some types of clean silica-based cat litter can work just as well in a pinch! Choose a medium or large grain litter, and be sure to inspect your device before reassembling it to make sure no particles are trapped inside the ports.

Professional Drying Services

If all other methods have failed, or your device seems too waterlogged for do-it-yourself methods, research professional device drying services at repair shops or kiosks near you. Professionals use a combination of desiccants, vacuums and heat to dry devices quickly.

What About Non-Fresh Water?

If you dropped your phone outdoors or inside near a sink, toilet or bathtub, you might be dealing with more than just water. Dirty water, saltwater and water with chemical additives, like chlorine, can cause more extensive damage to your device than water alone:

In many cases, the safest and most effective solution when you drop your phone in non-fresh water is taking it to a professional repair service that has the equipment to clean delicate areas of the device.

How to Get Water Out of Your Phone Speaker

Accidentally submerge your entire device in a pool of water? You may be able to use sound to get water out of a phone speaker. Cellphone speakers are highly prone to water-related damage because they are intricate and their design leaves them more easily exposed to the elements and any contaminants in the water. Once your speaker is waterlogged, it's challenging to repair or return to your original audio quality — but app developers are trying to change that through sound.

While using sounds to get water out of your phone seems like something pulled from a futuristic sci-fi film, the idea behind it is that some specific frequencies can help eject water from your speaker's internal elements. As the force of that frequency plays, you'll see small water droplets slowly ejecting from your speakers. Gently pat them dry with a towel and repeat the process as needed.

Android users will find speaker cleaning apps on Google Play, such as Speaker Cleaner, while Apple users can rely on the Apple Store's Sonic V app. Please note that this method may not work for all cellphone models and the success of this treatment depends on several factors, like the type of water you dropped your phone in, how long it was submerged, the device's waterproof rating and the extent of the damage.

4 Tips for Protecting Your Phone From Water Damage

While the methods listed above can be very effective ways to remove water in a pinch, prevention is always the best option. Protect your phone from water damage with these tips.

1. Choose Phones Rated for Water Protection

One advertised feature for today's top-selling smartphones is its IP rating, which stands for Ingress Protection. The two most common ratings right now are IP67 and IP68. The IP rating tells the buyer what level of protection the device has against dust and water. Each number represents a different level of protection.

Consider the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G and S21+5G, both of which are rated at IP68. The six stands for what kind of small solids, like dust, the phone is warded against. Currently, six is the highest possible rating in this category. The next digit, eight, is the phone's water resistance rating. Eight is currently the highest rating possible for water resistance. IP68 smartphones, including the Galaxy S21 5G, have been tested to survive more than 1 meter of water submersion.

While it's never a great situation when you drop your phone in water, having a device with a high IP rating will help protect it from as much moisture-related damage as possible.

2. Use a Waterproof Case

If you spend a lot of time near water — or just want to protect your investment — a waterproof case might be a good choice for you. These cases are made from water-resistant materials and have special raised designs that keep the device inside completely encased and protected from water. Some waterproof phone cases can even help your phone stay afloat and avoid submersion altogether.

When choosing a waterproof phone case, consider the following:

3. Purchase a Drying Kit

Pre-assembled cellphone drying kits typically include silica-based desiccants and a sealable bag, so you can dry your phone out quickly or on the go. If you buy a kit now, you'll always have it in an emergency. You can find them on major online retailers and at local electronics and cellphone repair shops.

4. Get Phone Insurance

With smartphone prices increasing each year, you've probably wondered if phone insurance is worth the extra cost. The answer depends on several factors, including how much you spent on your device, how often you travel, your budget for a new phone and ongoing repairs, the insurance plan in question and how likely you are to damage your phone.

You can usually enroll in a phone insurance plan through:

Be sure to read the details of what your policy covers. For example, some insurance policies may not protect against water damage if the device was submerged but may cover minor damage, like spills. Other plans limit how much you can claim in damage amounts and limit the number of claims you can make each year.

Phone insurance isn't the same as the device's warranty, which likely only covers manufacturing-related damages or defects.

Sell Used Smartphones to ecoATM

If your smartphone is too water-damaged for repair — or you're just ready to get rid of an old device to make room for a new release — ecoATM can help. Bring your unwanted device to an ecoATM kiosk, and we'll give you instant cash for your trade-in. We'll take your phone, regardless of condition, and make sure it's recycled responsibly and safely. Learn more about our mission and find an ecoATM kiosk near you to get started!